


Under The Tent

by etckhh



Series: Choose Your Own Adventure Seventeen [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Bad Boy Kim Mingyu, Choose Your Own Adventure, Choose Your Own Ending, Circus, Confused Kim Mingyu, Contortion, F/F, F/M, Fire Powers, Fluff, Historical Inaccuracy, Kim Mingyu-centric, M/M, Mermen, Multi, Mutant Powers, Mystery, Possible Character Death, Possible smut, Smut, Trapeze, contortion hell yeahhhh baybeee, i've added as many tags as possible without spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-12 21:10:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15348798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etckhh/pseuds/etckhh
Summary: Mingyu has a debt to pay off.He's had his money problems in the past - but he's taken on odd jobs to keep on top of it. When a circus passes through town hiring workers it seems like an exciting opportunity and nothing more. What Mingyu wasn't expecting was a large amount of vanishing attendees. Now it's up to him to catch the culprit, and clear his debt before it drowns him.Can you help Mingyu pay off the debt and clear the circus' name?VOTING : OPEN





	1. Run Boy Run

**Author's Note:**

> finally 
> 
> OK SO this is a choose your own adventure, you can comment below for your choice with the letter beside the choice.
> 
> If you put Mingyu into too much danger, he can get hurt and collect damage points
> 
> Too many damage points, he will straight up die. 
> 
> We play no games in this household my homies, choose wisely, avoid the "glass him" options.
> 
> You can also choose what character to romance - and if you want - what character to seduce. So if you choose the option to bump nasties, you're gettin a smut chapter.
> 
> Have Fun I Love You All

Money problems.

That’s all Mingyu could label his life with. Money problems. Constant migration.

He hadn’t had a home since he was a child toddling around his mother’s cottage in the mountains. Small and quaint, surrounded by flowers and nature. Small things amazed him. The first TV in the village making him wonder of the world around him. He never expected to be shoved into it cold with no help.

The moment he was truly able to run he hadn’t stopped. Running from loan sharks, running from secrets, running from his identity. Running.

Mingyu had only been in Busan for not a day more than two weeks. The place was larger than most places he would go but everything had been quite calm. His job as a docks worker was a nightmare but it paid for food and shelter.

Paid, as in past tense.

Mingyu stumbled into the street, the asphalt scuffing his shoes roughly as he was flung his knees, thin jeans tearing and scraping. He rushed to his feet as his boss - ex-boss - chased him out with a fishing hook. The pier’s large building loomed in the background, adding to the beefy man’s threatening aura. His chubby face slick with sweat and blood staining his sweat-soaked shirt, turning the cotton a sickly pink colour.

Mingyu began to doubt the blood had come from a fish.

“You keep your sticky-fingered low life ass out of this town ya hear!” The man hollered, his bloated stomach shaking while he spat at Mingyu.

And Mingyu resorted what he does best, his sneakers hit the ground and kick up dirt. He runs, long legs pumping and lungs rapidly inflating and deflating as he sucked in all the air he could.

He turns off of the alley spills through the street, ramming a hand into his pocket and feeling the wad of cash, his boss - ex-boss’ wallet, his ex-boss’ watch that all resided in there.

He’d been stealing from the man for weeks. Despite the livable wage, he needed the cash from the easily opened lock box on the harbour master’s desk. This time, he’d been caught slipping a few bills and while being knocked around and yanked out, he managed to get a few bonus items.

All in all? A good day. He just needed to cut town. Again.

Mingyu’s legs grow heavy as he runs, and just as he turns the corner to get back to his shack of a hostel his chest is slammed into painfully, and his body makes contact with a mess of limbs. There’s a loud holler from the thing- the person he runs into before his face meets cement.

“Fuck,” someone groans from under him, he feels their nose press painfully into his sternum, his arm having instinctively cushioned the blow to their head.

Mingyu sits up, blinking at the flurry of papers that had dispersed around them, and when he looks down at the poor soul he’d crushed and - he screams. Loudly. Like any man would.

Bellow him is a tiny man, hair an unnatural colour, body so small Mingyu’s first instinct is _child_. But what makes him scream is the way the man’s arm was twisted at a very unnatural angle. His shoulder looks popped out as it twisted up and out.

“Oh god I’m so sorry Jesus-” Mingyu is about to pray to every god he can think of as he scrambles away when the small man unfolds himself and crunches his arm with a horrific noise back into a reasonable position. He bends it and flexes it calmly and turns to glare at Mingyu with a hardened gaze, making Mingyu’s brain pull together the conclusion _not child_.

Mingyu gapes at the man, mouth hanging open like the fish he'd had just spent weeks staring down.

The tiny man sighs.

“What’s the rush?” He questions, almost looming despite being a solid head and a half shorter. Mingyu fumbles to help pick up the papers, handing them back. He reads one, the bold letters exclaiming ‘Pledis Circus - All Ages Welcome - Come and see the mysteries of the human flame! Tarot readings! High flying acts! The world’s only merman!’. He doesn’t read on but hands the paper over slowly, interested. He’d never seen a circus before. The small add for an adults-only show on the bottom does throw him for a loop.

“Uh - I like to run. Gets me places faster,” Mingyu explains. He was not a liar, and he didn’t see any reason to lie to this random guy, but he didn’t want to explain that he’s just robbed his boss. Suddenly a man strides over and yanks the poor man Mingyu had just flattened like a bug on a windshield up into the air before resting him on his shoulder in a flourish. It was such a flowing movement it took a moment to register as Mingyu stood at his full height. Now he was certainly being looked down upon. 

The tiny man seems entirely unbothered by this movement though, perched comfortably on this considerably bulky man’s shoulder as he continues to shuffle his papers back in order. Mingyu stares in awe at the two, both wearing plain clothes aside from their shirts, the gaudy attire proclaiming _'Pledis Circus’_ in a whimsical font, contrasting the rest of their modest clothing.

“Ah poor Woozi, the first time out of the tent and he gets run over,” the bulky man said with a bright teasing smile, holding such charisma that Mingyu couldn’t help but be floored. The small man, who had just been referred to as Woozi, ruffles the bulky man’s hair with a wrinkled nose. They clearly knew one another well.

“Choi Seungcheol, the ringleader of Pledis Circus,” the bulky man introduces, extending his hand as the other clutched a matching set of flyers. Mingyu hesitantly takes it, floored by the firm grip. The man held such an aura it didn’t surprise Mingyu that he was the boss of such a show. He commanded attention with every move. Seungcheol looks him up and down in a way that makes Mingyu feel like he could also be tossed over this guy's shoulder.

It was intriguing and Mingyu happened to be a curious man by nature. He pulls a smile to his lips, not sure if it was too late to be friendly or not.

“I’m Kim Mingyu, -”

**X - [ “-I’ve been looking for work, are you hiring?”]**

**Y - [“What’s going on? Circuses are pretty rare these days,”]**

**Z - [“Who are you two? Is this an act?”]**


	2. Tour De Circque

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu gets to meet a colourful cast of characters. 
> 
> It seems like Seungcheol is fond of him, but Jihoon doesn't seem to like him at all.

**[-1 LJH] [+1 CSC]**

"-I've been looking for work, are you hiring?" 

Woozi looks taken aback by this bold statement while Seungcheol's eyes take on a spark of interest. It was incredibly forward, sure but in Mingyu's own defence he would be homeless in a matter of days if he didn't buckle down and find another job, stat. 

Seungcheol appraises him slowly, eyes carefully calculating in the way that only a man who had done this many times really could. He reaches out and firmly grasps Mingyu's bicep with his free hand before reaching up and tugging at his cheek, looking at his teeth before his finger tugs at Mingyu's eyelid. He squints at the taller male and Mingyu feels like a piece of livestock but he doesn't protest. This was the exact same process he'd been through for many other manual labour jobs. It was simply part of the life.

"How old are you?" Seungcheol asks. Mingyu squirms. 

"Twenty, uh. Sir," he responds, blinking with wide eyes. He looked exactly like a deer staring down the barrel of a hunter's gun.

"Smoke, drink, drug problem?" Seungcheol questions. 

"In moderation?" Mingyu responds truthfully, wincing at his own response. He wasn't a straight edge - and life on the road was tough. This makes Seungcheol chuckle and Woozi frown. 

"I like your honesty kid," Seungcheol says, tilting his head up to look at Woozi. "Thoughts?"

"Good enough," Woozi says, looking in the other direction. He hops gracefully off Seungcheol's shoulder and greets a woman and her children, offering excited chubby hands some flyers. It was weird to see him smile so brightly and engage with the children. Mingyu sees the woman point to the bottom of the flyer and the small man grabs her arm gently, leaning in and whispering something that makes her blush a rose colour for his words. 

Seungcheol crosses his arms before nodding and drawing Mingyu's attention back in.

"We've been looking for a hand. Just someone to move gear and pull ropes for the performances, nothing fancy but you get two meals a day and lodgings," Seungcheol says. Mingyu's heart speeds up with excitement - food and shelter? He didn't want to gawk but the deal was too good to be true. It was hard to secure food some days, and shelter was even more sketchy at times.

"Say, we'll let you have a test run. See if you like the work for the next two weeks. If you're any use you can travel with us," he offers before grinning. "What do you say?"

Seungcheol extends a hand and Mingyu eagerly accepts it, shaking with both of his own hands. 

"Yes - yes that would be fantastic. Thank you so much!" He says eagerly, stooping down a bit in a humble way. "You won't regret it, sir," he adds for good measure. He resorted to full formal speech to make a better impression.

The ringleader laughs and gestures for Mingyu to follow.

"C'mon, you'll need to see the tent and meet people, right? - Jihoon-ah!" He calls across the pavement, making the tiny man jog over with an annoyed look. 

"Show Mingyu round the tent. He'll be with us for the shows," he instructs, discreetly patting his lower back. Mingyu catches the intimate gesture and it surprises him, to say the least. Jihoon nods and starts walking away. Mingyu takes this as a cue to follow. 

"What's your name?" Mingyu asks after a few minutes, going blunt again. The tiny man snorts, rolling his eyes. 

"Jihoon," he responds. 

"Why'd Mr Choi call you Woozi?" Mingyu presses. 

"Stage name," 

"Oh. Okay. Neat. What do you - I mean. What's your job?"

"Contortion,"

"I don't know that word,"

"Okay,"

There's a long pause as they continue walking. Mingyu waits for Jihoon to explain but he doesn't. He just keeps looking ahead, their shoes making small clouds as they turn onto a dirt-covered path. The pace is fairly quicker than what Mingyu was expecting with Jihoon's short legs and - well. He's impressed. He was also, to put it formally, dying of curiosity. 

"What's it mean?" Mingyu breaks, asking another question.

"I bend in ways most people can't," Jihoon quips. 

"Why?"

"I have a condition,"

"Bendy condition?"

"No, EDS,"

"I don't know what that is,"

At this, Jihoon stops walking and turns to Mingyu. His eyes are set in an irritable glare and his hands are on his hips. He was clearly not in the mood for any questions and Mingyu was internally wondering why on earth Seungcheol decided to have Jihoon give him a tour if he was so standoffish. 

"I have chronic pain, my body is elastic, and anything will bruise me, I dislocate my bones easily," Jihoon says, tone short and blunt like his stature.

"Oh," Mingyu says stupidly, making the performer sigh. He wonders if that's why Jihoon was so rude - cause he was physically in pain maybe. That seemed like it. "Why the circus then?"

"Because it makes me happy. I'm a happy person," he says as they continue their walk, irritable tone not changing. 

Mingyu realizes Jihoon was not rude - he just seemed that way. It was stupid to associate being rude with being physically in pain and he mentally slaps himself for that one. Maybe this was just how he showed his happiness.

When they get to the Circus it stands proudly in the middle of a field, all around are smaller tents and booths and one extravagantly large tent of cascading fabric in red and white stripes. There was a clear path up to it, lined with game booths with brightly coloured signs. There was a small tent boasting tarot card readings and future advice, a tent housing the 'only real mermaid' left, a burlap tent that was clearly more discreet sat quaintly closer to what seemed to be the main tent. Mingyu ponders that one for a long moment. Many people from all walks of life were milling about. Short and tall, chubby and thinner than rods. All ages showcasing all sorts of adult life. Some held tattoos covering their bodies, ornate piercings, wildly dyed hair. They were, as a whole, quite the crowd to witness, even in the downtime. It was the most magical thing Mingyu had seen in his life. 

"The big one's the performance tent, the ones in the back are for living spaces - where you'll be staying if you stay - and storage. Small ones in the front are for games and attractions and the like. C'mon. I'll show you the animals first," Jihoon says, going to the second largest tent that was around in the back behind the largest one. Mingyu has no option but to follow. He couldn't even hide his excitement. It was all so mystifying. He recalls seeing the moon landing on TV earlier that year and this circus was blowing that out of the water. 

Jihoon opens the curtain to reveal a dimly lit area filled with a few cages but to the left was a wide and astonishingly tall fish tank, brimming with water. Beside it stood a platform of sorts for what seemed to be used for accessing the fish and feeding. He sees a flash of iridescent lilac scales skimming past in a way that hardly registers to him and then he sees the torso of a man peeking over a rock. Mingyu freezes. There was a man swimming in the 10-foot fish tank, looking calm and unbothered by the depth.

To the right, there was a huge metal cage, big enough to fit at least 10 people with room to spare. It loomed in the room, catching Mingyu off guard. Inside laid a bright orange tiger and a lion sleeping side by side. Wedged between them sat a boy looking awfully tired as he dozed off, petting the fluffy mane of a man-eating animal. The tiger's eyes flickered open and it rises, jostling the lion beside it awake. The large cat's eyes narrow.

Mingyu feels conflicted. 

**A-[Rush over to the fish tank]**

**B-[Run to the cage]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes  
> \- Jihoon has EDS which is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It's pretty common for circus 'freaks' back in the day. Also - hypermobility is a well known symptom. 
> 
> I also suffer from EDS and it sucks ass.
> 
> \- this fic takes place in 1969 if you missed the moon landing line. It's an idealistic 1969 with no war or famine or nothin
> 
> -you OvErWHELMINGLY voted for X - giving you +1 for Seungcheol and -1 for Jihoon's relationship points. 
> 
> Y would have given you +2 for both Cheol and Hoon, Z would have done nothing to stats.
> 
> Keep this in mind - you might need help in the future. 
> 
> Decide who you want to meet next!! Go vote !!


	3. Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu gets the tour and finds a lot of interesting characters along the way. Maybe people are weirder than he first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyeee we finally get some introductions to people - also warning. this chapter is a total glass him so just be warned 
> 
> if you don't know what 'glass him' is -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urKJqdq4eX4
> 
> ok lov y'all bye

[-1 LJH] [+1 CSC] [+2 XMH] [+2 WJH] [-2HJS]

Run to the cage

Mingyu doesn't even think before he runs to the large cage in the corner, protective instincts kicking in as his body shifts into fight or flight. 

As always, he picks the fight.

"Hey! What are you doing in there? It's dangerous," he exclaims.

The man stares at him with owlish eyes, blinking before laughing. His whole face blooms into a look of pure amusement as the tiger let out a growl at Mingyu from the other side of the bars.

"Relax Raja," the boy says, slipping through the beams and in front of Mingyu. The tiger tries to follow but it's big head just thuds against the metal. 

"This is Minghao, he's our large animal tamer," Jihoon explains. Minghao does a small bow and reaches out to shake Mingyu's hand, eyeing him up and down. 

"Pleasure," he says sweetly, hand lingering. 

"Mingyu - ah. I'm new," Mingyu supplies dumbly, making the tamer laugh. 

"I know," Minghao responds. From up close Mingyu can see the latter's elongated canines and sharp nails, as well as a scar on his neck plunging below his loose white shirt. The man looked more feline than human in the lighting. Even his hair was a fluffy blonde. 

"Isn't that - like - cruel to keep them caged up like that?" Mingyu asks. He was fairly certain it was animal cruelty. Minghao merely tilts his head and blinks his soft brown eyes. 

"And release them into the wilds of… korea?" He asks. His accent is so thick it takes Mingyu a moment to process. "I've been with Raja and Poko since we were all babies…. They can't be released into the wild because we've been in captivity so long - and I'd rather die than be separated from them and sending them to the zoo," Minghao explains slowly before pointing at the tiger. 

"Raja," he states. 

"Poko," he then adds, pointing at the lion who looked bored. 

"Hao's from China, his parents were…. Unethical zoologists," Jihoon explains. Mingyu gets the chills when he sees Minghao's teeth peek out again. What did that even mean? He didn't have time to ponder it.

"Haohao," a voice rings out from behind Mingyu before he's bumped into, a head knocks right into his back. He twirls around and moves to the side as a man with black hair brushes past, seemingly unbothered. He's speaking excitedly in a language Mingyu doesn't understand but he's too distracted by the gigantic green and brown snake hanging off of the man's shoulders. The man curls around Minghao from behind and rests his head on the smaller's shoulder. 

His eyes are vast and empty, only coated in white and his teeth are small and fanged. They were sharp as hell and it makes him wonder if the two could tear a man apart limb from limb. Mingyu notices his slender features and the way his skin was clearly coated in scales around his neck and shoulders, the skin turning into a dark brown and green. He gawks at this man, mouth hanging open.

"This is Junhui - he doesn't speak Korean. He's our snake charmer and sword swallower," Jihoon explains. 

"Hello! I am Junhui," the man says. Mingyu sticks out his hand for a handshake. 

"I'm Mingyu," he says. Minghao cackles, face scrunching and he pulls the hand from around his waist up so Jun's hand meets Mingyu's. 

"He's blind, idiot," Minghao informs as Junhui shakes Mingyu's hand. 

"Snake is Mimi, she is nice," Junhui says with a bright smile. Mimi sticks her tongue out and flicks it in a friendly way. 

"Good girl," Junhui says. Mimi slides onto Minghao and curls around his arm as well. 

"Friend," Junhui explains. Mingyu smiles softly, reaching out to pat the terrifying beast's head. The snake simply bumps its nose against Mingyu's hand and Minghao laughed, muttering to Junhui in their mother tongue. Jun laughs too.

"Hao and Jun spent their lives in the same shit hole lab before they joined us, they're pretty close," Jihoon explains. Mingyu's eyes linger on Jun for just a moment longer as he nods. Jun seemed unbothered as he squished Mimi's cheeks in his hand. 

"C'mon," Jihoon says, tugging Mingyu away. They say their goodbyes and walk past the fish tank.

"That's just storage for the merman," Jihoon says dismissively, waving a hand like that wasn't the most fascinating thing Mingyu's ever heard of. 

"So rude," a voice pipes up, soft and sweet. Mingyu looks up to see a man half dressed sitting on the edge of the thick glass tank. 

It has to be the most gorgeous man Mingyu's ever seen in his entire life. His hair is long and lilac and his lips are a soft cupid's bow. The man smiles.

"Who's this?" He asks, tilting his head. Jihoon rolls his eyes. 

"Mingyu, Jeonghan - Jeonghan, Mingyu," the smaller male introduces, gesturing.

Jeonghan crosses his legs above them and tucks hair behind his ear. 

"I didn't know we had a new strong man, I'm pleased to meet you," he says, voice soft like a melody and so pleasing to Mingyu's ears. He feels enchanted. 

"I- Uh - no I'm just here to - to Uh… I'm here to just move… move stuff," Mingyu stumbles out, making Jihoon groan. 

"Quit it," he barks up at the man who gives a cheeky grin. "Jeonghan's our merman, siren. Really. Bloody asshole's got a hypnotic voice," Jihoon says with irritation. Mingyu feels his cheeks flood with heat and he wonders if Jihoon had fallen for the trap as well. 

"Don't worry, it only works on people attracted to men, you'll be fine," the smaller adds. Mingyu feels his heart drop to his stomach. Shit. He was not going to be fine. 

"Jihoon-ah!" Another man runs up, making Jihoon turn around. "Seokmin needs you - the main tent," the man states. Jihoon glances at Mingyu. 

"Give him the tour, I'll be back in a second," Jihoon says before running off. Jeonghan climbs down from the lip of the tank beside him. 

"Oh my - hello. I'm Father Joshua Hong, the circus's priest," the man introduces. Mingyu blanks.

"Priest?" He asks, dumbfounded. 

"Some unholy shit goes on around here and-" Jeonghan is about to explain when a hand is slapped over his mouth to shut him up. He shoots a glare at Joshua for being silenced.

"I'm a missionary, I travel with the circus because it costs less and in return, I give them spiritual guidance and counselling," the man explains in a soft, kind voice that almost rivals Jeonghan's. 

Mingyu watches the merman sling an arm around the priest. 

"Ah - and we're so lucky to have our Shua around, hm?" He preens. Joshua looks nervous as he peels Jeonghan off of him. Jeonghan gives a mischevious smile as he continues to toy with the latter's clothing.

"Ah - would you like to see the booths?" He says, not really looking for an answer as he walks out swiftly. Mingyu follows with his own hurry, waving goodbye to Jeonghan who was climbing back up the tank. He looks pleased as he waves back. 

They walk down the long row of booths leading up to the main tent as Joshua explains each one. He passes by the small tent that boasted tarot readings with a grimace.

"What's in there?" Mingyu asks curiously, heading towards it. 

Joshua plants his feet. 

"Don't go in there," he says sternly. 

"Why not?" Mingyu asks. He was dying to know now. 

"Witchcraft is a sin, Mingyu-ssi, it would be ill-advised to meddle with such affairs and those who devote themselves to the practice are-"

Mingyu doesn't catch the end of the sentence because he was already inside. 

He pushed the ornate purple cloth away and was greeted by a smoky room filled with candles. In the dim lighting, he sees a man sitting at a table low to the ground. Around him are scattered decorative pillows. There are crystals hanging from the beams of the tent and ornate tapestry. 

When the man looks up, Mingyu gasps. 

He had fluffy black hair and loose robes, and a face that was so carefully crafted Mingyu simply felt hypnotized. His eyes held an inhuman green colour and his lips were a soft peach. His whole person was decked out with silver. Necklaces adorned with gems and symbols, fingers loaded with rings. He was shuffling a deck of cards as he gave a small smile, tilting his head. It was eerily familiar. 

"Ah, you recognize me Mingyu-ah?" The man asks. Mingyu blinks.

"Do we know each other?" He blurts out. The man rests his elbows on the table. 

"You tell me," he purrs, voice deep and alluring. A chill spikes through Mingyu's body. 

Joshua pokes his head in, uneasy as he takes the few hesitant steps to enter.

"Father," the man greets. 

"Wonwoo-ssi," Joshua greets back. They glare at one another. 

The man, Wonwoo, Mingyu assumes, flips a card up and places it in the centre of the table. Mingyu recognizes it enough, judging by the clothing the character on the card was wearing. 

"The Hierophant," Wonwoo hums. Joshua grimaces. 

Wonwoo flips over another card. 

"The magician," he says with a grin. He peers at Mingyu and shuffles the deck a bit more. 

"Ah, now who are you?" He asks. The two cards were clearly indicative of the people in the tent. Only Mingyu was missing.

Wonwoo flips up another card.

Death. 

"Hm, I've been waiting for you," the man says lazily, putting the cards back in his hand as he continues shuffling. 

"God help you," Joshua accuses, frowning and shaking his head as he stepped out. 

Wonwoo smiles.

"Come, sit," he says and Mingyu does as he's told, perching on a fluffy blue pillow. He folds his long limbs in as best he can. 

"Let me offer my services, darling old friend. Would you like a card reading? Or a palm reading? Or maybe you want your future told?" Wonwoo purrs, eyes piercing through Mingyu's own. He squirms. He didn't like the strange feeling bubbling in his chest. 

 

_Q- ["A card reading,"]_

_W- ["A palm reading,"]_

_R- ["Can you tell me my future?"]_

_T- ["You already know what I want, don't you?"]_


End file.
